"If you made it as a German start-up, you will be invited to a wonderful asparagus dinner!"
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What are the ingredients to strengthen startup ecosystems and what can we learn from each other on a transatlantic level?
On November 17th 2021, CEOs of startups and experts from the US and Germany´s Ruhr Area came together for the very first “Transatlantic CEO Dialogue – Start-ups and Entrepreneurs Edition”, which took place as a hybrid panel discussion at the Center for Entrepreneurship & Transfer (CET), TU Dortmund University`s excellent start-up center. More than 20 young founders, students and entrepreneurs (3G-Rule vaccinated, tested or recovered) visited the event on site at the Community Space of the CET in Dortmund and had the opportunity to connect to regional and transatlantic decision-makers during the subsequent networking session.
Co-organized and initiated by the University Alliance Ruhr, Initiativkreis Ruhr and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Transfer the panelists discussed a wide range of questions: How to best expand business activities to foreign markets (US and the Ruhr Area)? What does it take to found a startup and transform science into impactful business models? And most importantly, what can we learn from each other on a transatlantic level?
From New York to Dortmund
Dirk Kanngiesser, Silicon Valley expert and Co-founder of the German Accelerator moderated the discussion and had the pleasure to welcome two panelists on stage as well as two speakers, who joined the panel live from New York City. Dr. Tricia Skoler from New York, award winning psychologist and CEO and Founder of ZWIFLY®/AisforBanana®, Sascha Feldhorst, CEO and Co-Founder of the MotionMiners, one of Dortmund´s top notch logistics start-ups gave first hand insights into their respective journeys as young entrepreneurs and founders.
Dietmar Rieg, CEO of the German American Chambers of Commerce in New York shared his viewpoints drawing from his long-term experience as the initiator of the STEP US program that supports German startups to expand their business activities to the US market. Dr. Carsten Gerhardt, Energy and sustainability expert at A.T. Kearney and member of the Initiativkreis Ruhr outlined why the Rhein Ruhr Area can be considered the next Silicon Valley for Circular Economy.